1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to antibiotics and more particularly to an improved method of determining the presence of beta lactam ring-containing cephalosporins and penicillin in biological liquids and the like.
2. Prior Art
Various serologic and microbiological assays have been employed for detecting penicillin and cephalosporins in such biological liquids as milk and urine. Serologic procedures include radioimmunoassays and enzyme immunoassays, while microbiological assays employ conventional culture and sensitivity methodology.
Radioimmunoassays and enzyme immunoassays are relatively expensive and time consuming. Each method requires specialized and expensive equipment not commonly found in a dairy processing or microbiology laboratory. Standard microbiological procedures are also relatively expensive and time consuming to perform. All such methods require highly trained, competent technicians to perform the assays and interpret the results. Moreover, the time required to perform such assays varies from several hours for enzyme immunoassay procedures to up to two days for microbiological procedures. Serologic procedures have the additional disadvantage in that they do not discriminate between biological active molecules and biologically inactive residues of the molecules being tested for, that is pencillin and cephalosporins.
In view of the large number of assays currently being required on milk and urine and other biological liquids to determine the presence of penicillin and cephalosporins therein, it would be highly beneficial to be able to provide a more rapid, effective and efficient procedure for making such determinations. Preferably such improved method should be capable of being run accurately on readily available, relatively inexpensive equipment by relatively unskilled personnel.